sullivan



(- No Model.) v 2 Sheets- Sheet 1. T. SULLIVAN & E. L. ETHERIDGE.

SUBMARINE TO RPEDO. No. 370,570. Patented Sept. 27,1887.

ATTORNEYS.

(No Model.) 2 sheets shee't 2.

T. SULLIVAN 82; E. L. ETHERIDGE.

' SUBMARINE TORPEDO.

N0. 370,570. Patented Sept. 27, 1887.

ATTORNEYS.

WITNESSES nection with the drawings, and then pointed is an end view of the cartridge.

pedo is divided by the partitions ff into three NrrE STATES TIMOTHY SULLIVAN AND ERNEST L.

SUBMARiNE roam-zoo.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 370.570, dated September 2'7, 188'].

Application filed March 10, 1887.

To all whom it may concern.-

Beitknown that we, TIMOTHY SULLIVAN and Enunsr L. Ernnnrnen, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved SubmarineTorpedo, of which the'following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatei corresponding parts in all the figures. Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of our new and improved submarine torpedo.- Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional elevationof'the front end of the torpedo. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the central portion of the .torpedo, showing the cartridge for igniting the charges of explosives carried by the torpedo. Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional elevaiion taken on the line-am; of Fig. 1, and Fig. 5.

The invention will first be described in con- Y out in theclaims.

The casing of the torpedo is composed of two main cylindrical sections, the front section, A, and the rear section, B, both connected to the central. section, 0. The rear section, B, is filled with acharge, D, of rocket composition, which, in burning, rapidly generates a gas which is ejected rearward and acts upon the waterand drives the torpedo forward with great force through the water. The torpedo ih its passage through the water is kept to its course by the radially arranged rudders D, pivoted at a in slots or an annular recess, b, in the central solidsection, C, and which arev forced outward at their rear ends by coiledsprings-c, placed upon guide-pins d, and held in sockets e, made in the section 0.

The front section, A, of the body of the torchambers, A A A". The chamber A is closed at the front by the plate 9, and over this is placed the conical point or cap E, to facilitate the passage of the torpedo through the water.: The chambers A A are both charged with gun-cotton or other violent explosive. The small central chamber, A is charged with dry gun-cotton powder, which is to be ignited by a cartridge, F, and the firing pin or rod F,

Serial No. 230,395. (No modelsl which latter projects at the front end-of the torpedo, so as to be driven'backward by contact with the object against which the torpedo is projected. The pin or rod F is held in a tube or casing, G, held in. the partitionsf g, and igheld pressed forward by a coiled spring, h, insthe enlarged portion j of the tube or casing G, said spring acting between the collar i on the rodor pin and the head i of the main or smaller portion of the tube or casing The cartridge F is held in a cross-piece or partition, f, between the partitions f f, and is composed of the thimble k for fulminate and I the main casing l, formed with the screw;

threads Z for holding itin the partition f 2 and the screw-threads P for receiving the annular cap $2 The thimble k is closed by a plate, k,

and ixr'an orifice, m, inthe center of the plate is p aced a percussion cap, 9, adapted to be exploded by the firing-pin qof the plunger L,

when the same is forced backward by the backward thrust of the rod F. The plunger L is held pressed forward by at spring, M, placed in the casing Z of the cartridge, and all possible entrance of water to the cart-ridge is,

prevented by the diaphragm N, preferably of soft rubber placed over the-open end of the casing Z, and held by the annular screw-cap l screwed upon the said casing, asshown clearly in Fig. 3.

When the'torpedo is projected from a gun or other device for giving it its first impetus, the fuse or cap m inthe end plate, 9', is ignited, which will ignite the charge D of rocket composition, the bnrning of which generates the propulsion-gas, which, acting upon the-water,

forces the torpedo through the water. When the point of the rod F'strikes any object.-the hnll of a vessel,for example-said rod-will be forced backward, which will cause its inner end to penetrate the diaphragm M and strike the plunger L, which will in turn be forced backwardand cause its firing-pin q to explode the cap 19, which will explode the cartridge and ignite the charge-in the chamber A, the explosion of which will explode the charges in the two chambers A A, and cause the torpedo to do its work'of destruction.

To facilitate storage and handling of the torpedo we makea joint, t, in the front sec tion, A, between the partitions f and f, so

that the said front section is in two parts,

' which need not be united until'th eiorpedo is required for use.- v 1 p I Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A' submarine torpedo, comprising tw independent casings,.A B, united by a section, (3, which separates the chambers of the casing A B, and provided with rudders, the front casing being charged with explosive, and provided with means for igniting the same by the impact of the torpedo, the rear casing, B, being charged with rocket composition, substan tially as described.

2. The front casing, A, made in two parts or sections closed by the partitionsff", and jointed together between said partitions, in combination with the partition f, which forms the two explosive chambers A A snbstan:

'tiall y as described.

- 3. The casing A, made in two parts or sections, the front section being provided with partitions and with'the tube G, the rear sec t'ion being provided with the partition f having the cartridge fitted in it, in combination with the rod F, held in the tube G and acted upon by a spring, h, for normally holding the rod out of contact with the cartridge,substantially as described.

4:. The casing A, provided with the partition f, and the casing Z, fitted in the partition f and having the cartridge k secured to itsrear end, in combination with the firing-pin L, in-

closed by the casing Z and protected from 5 

